Chapter 12: Time Flies

  The day came for Sev to return to the academy. Byron, Amalee, Orsen, and Arthur all gathered to see him off. It wasn’t necessary, but they enjoyed the simple tradition. As Sev said his goodbyes, he finally got to Arthur. Sev smiled and gave Arthur a deep hug. “Thanks for everything, pops. I love you, I’ll see you in about a month!” Sev said as he hugged Arthur. He broke off the hug and waved goodbye as he quickly headed off to make it on time for the opening ceremony.

  Arthur stood there, eyes welling with tears. “Did, did anyone else hear that?” Arthur asked quietly.

  Orsen approached with a wide smile and clasped his hand firmly on Arthur’s shoulder. “Congrats, you’re Sev’s pops now. Guess you were worried for nothing. How’s it feel?” He asked excitedly. Good. He needed a win. And good for Sev, I’m glad he hasn’t closed himself off at all.

  Arthur simply turned and pulled Orsen into a hug. “HE THINKS OF ME AS A FATHER!!” He yelled as he jumped up and down with Orsen still in his clutches. “I never thought I’d hear those words from him…” His tears now ran down his face. Not tears of sadness, but of pure joy.

  Sev had a wide smile on his face as he entered the academy gates. I hope Mom and Dad are proud. He thought as he retrieved his schedule and made his way to his class. Now it’s time to make Arthur not worry so much. Sev started his classes with a new outlook. It didn’t matter how boring or redundant they were. He would crush them and finish the next 2 years at the top of his class. And not just top 10, he would take the number 1 spot. If I do that, it’ll show Arthur just how ready I am for all of this. I’ll make us both proud, Arthur, don’t you worry.

  The next month passed in a flash compared to the last semester. Sev had redoubled his efforts and had taken his classes by the reins. There may be nothing for him to really learn from the classes, but he was going to try to teach himself anyway. He worked hard and passed every assignment and test with perfect scores. His practical performance was also exemplary, and he easily passed his practical exams with perfect scores as well. He had enrolled in a swordsmanship class and simply used the time to perfect the fundamentals even further. If I ever want to beat Theo, I have to master every little detail.

  He would return on the weekends and excitedly took turns training with Orsen and the paladins. Everyone was relieved to see that Sev was back to his old self. He quickly convinced Orsen to show him other runes, which now included the ‘sundering rune’ due to Orsen’s position within the Order of the Crown. Sev started to practice the new rune, setting the goal to be able to scribe it by the end of the semester. In combat training, he more frequently asked for training against multiple opponents. Theo and Magdin proved to be extremely difficult, as they perfectly covered all of each other's weaknesses. This only further encouraged Sev to continue to push his limits. He continued to force himself to train in archery, and he finally started to make some progress. This motivated him even further, and he continued to push himself harder than ever before. Arthur was worried that Sev was pushing himself too much, but he was always happiest during training. Goals gave him something to work towards, and he thrived when he had things he was reaching for. So he simply helped train Sev, giving him every ounce of knowledge he possibly could.

  As the year came to its end, Sev turned 9 years old. He finished the semester at the academy and attended the ceremony like he was supposed to. As the queen and king gave their remarks, Sev was called up to the front of the auditorium. He had finished the year at the top of his class, taking the number one spot. He had also set a new record for his scores in the practical exams, earning him a small medal as proof of his hard work. The queen had to fight every urge not to hug him and tell him how proud she was, but as soon as the assembly was over, she rushed over and smothered him. Byron gave him a hefty pat on the back as they met up with Arthur and Orsen, who congratulated Sev on his accomplishments this year. They returned to Arthur and Sev’s home to have a small dinner as always.

  As they arrived home, Sev noticed something was up. Dottie was already there making an even more extraordinary meal than usual, and Camilla was there helping get everything ready. I wonder… Sev thought as he quickly ran upstairs to get cleaned up for dinner. After a few minutes, he came back downstairs and braced himself. As if on queue, Sev was tackled from behind, and his eyes were covered by two small hands, one of which had an imperfect gold ring on it. “Guess who?” A familiar and comforting voice asked.

  Sev smiled widely. I wondered when she was getting home. “Hey Lilli, welcome home!” Sev answered as he simply stood there, letting her have her fun.

  “Aww, you didn’t even try to play along…” Lilli pouted as she took her hands off his eyes and walked over in front of him. “Hi Sev, it’s good to be home.” She said softly as she hugged him. They just stood there enjoying each other's presence. Lilli had grown to be a few inches taller than Sev now and made it a point to gently rest her chin on his head.

  “How have you been? I’ve missed you. The academy is a lot less enjoyable with you gone.” Sev said as Lilli continued to hug him. She’s warm. I’ve missed this.

  Lilli responded quietly, “I’ve been okay. The academy in Kelgrim is way cooler than the one here. But I’ve missed you, too. I wish you could go with me. Breaks and free time are way less fun without you there.” Lilli sounded both relieved and sad. The people there can be so mean. It’s nice to just be loved again. She pulled him into an even tighter hug, shedding a few tears as she did.

  Arthur called out from the kitchen, “Hey, kids, dinner's ready. Come grab it while it’s hot!”

  Lilli quickly wiped her tears and grabbed Sev’s hand. “Come on, let's eat! I have a bunch to talk about!” She said, calming down and regaining her excitement.

  The two of them made their way into the kitchen and joined everybody else. Lilli made sure that Sev sat next to her, as she wanted to stay as close to him as possible for as long as possible. I’m only home for 2 weeks, I’ve gotta make it count. She thought as everyone began to enjoy the meal that Dottie had prepared. The night was filled with laughter and stories. Everyone had their own things to tell Lilli, and Lilli had plenty of her own stories to tell. The home was warm and full of joy as the ‘family’ was brought back together again. They had all enjoyed the meals that they had shared over the last year, but things felt a bit emptier without Lilli at home. Now that she was back, it was as if she had never left. Since school was over for the year and nobody had any real plans, the party stretched into the late hours of the night and even the early hours of the morning. As the energy started to calm and tiredness set in, Arthur offered everyone a room to stay in. Everyone gratefully agreed, retiring upstairs to sleep. Sev lay in bed trying to sleep, yet it was once again a sleepless night for him. He shuffled and adjusted constantly, but couldn’t get himself to sleep. He somehow didn’t feel tired, even though he knew he should.

  Sev quietly got out of bed and made his way to his desk once again. He lit the small lantern at his desk and pulled out some sheets of paper. He began practising the newest rune that he had seen Orsen working on at the garrison. It was the ‘sundering’ rune. Orsen had yet to properly show Sev how to scribe it, but Sev had watched him several times and knew the basic design. Hopefully, this is boring enough to put me to sleep. I can’t afford to lose any time. He sighed heavily as he slowly traced the rune over and over again. A few minutes later, he heard a soft knock on his door.

  “Sev, are you awake still?” Lilli whispered from the other side.

  Sev smiled and quietly got up to open the door. “Unfortunately, yes. You couldn’t sleep either?” He asked as he swung the door open gently. I wonder if she struggles to sleep a lot like I do.

  “I tried for a while, but I can’t seem to actually fall asleep. I’m sorry if I woke you up or anything.” She whispered, obviously concerned that she was keeping Sev up.

  Sev chuckled softly and brought her over to the desk. “You are fine, it’s actually really nice to have you here. If I were asleep, I probably wouldn’t have sketched this rune so many times.” He said as he gestured to the pages covered in small rune tracings. “So, what do we do now?” He asked her.

  “I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to know if I was the only one who couldn’t sleep. And to be honest, I was sad we didn’t get to spend more time together. I kinda just wanted to be around you for a bit, if that’s okay.” Lilli’s tone had shifted. Rather than the upbeat and happy voice she usually wore, she now sounded sad and hurt.

  “Well, I’m glad you came. Come on, I have an idea.” Sev said as he grabbed her hand and picked up the lantern, before quietly leading her downstairs. He made sure to avoid the squeaky floorboards that dotted the floors, and finally, they arrived in the kitchen. Sev rummaged around the cabinets before pulling out some honey and a small chunk of baking chocolate. He opened the small chilling box and pulled out the milk. He grabbed one of his ceramic mugs and filled it with milk before returning it to its shelf. He activated the smaller heat rune on the stove and put the mug on it to heat the milk.

  “Whenever my mom struggled to sleep, I’d make her some warm milk and mix it with some honey. One time, I met a traveling adventurer who gave me the idea to add some chocolate to make it a bit more flavorful. My mom seemed to really like it, and she told me it helped her sleep better. I don’t know if it actually did or not, but I’d like to think it did at least a little bit.” Sev said as he slowly stirred the milk to make sure it didn’t burn to the bottom of the mug. “So I figured if it worked for her, it might work for you.”

  Lilli stood there quietly behind Sev. He has never talked about his mom before… “That’s really sweet of you, Sev. But you’ve never talked about your mom before now. Can I ask why that is?” She asked softly. “I don’t want to pry, and I don’t mean to cause offense if I ha—”

  “It’s okay, I promise Lilli. I honestly don’t know why I don’t talk about her. I guess cause it would raise questions from people that I don’t really want to answer. But since you are you, I’ll answer whatever questions you have. If you really want to know.” Sev’s tone was soft, and even a bit sad.

  “I can’t say I’m not curious. I’ve always wondered why it was just you and Arthur, and why you call him Arthur. Isn’t he your dad??” Lilli asked softly.

  Sev chuckled gently while trying to decide how much to tell her. “Arthur is not my dad. At least not my original one. He has more than taken up that role, though, so I’m trying to work on acting more like his son. As for my parents….” Sev stopped, still not sure of how much to explain or how to say it. “My parents died when I was 5. Arthur found me on a trip and took me in and raised me like his own son. In some ways, he is more of a father to me than my actual father, though that wasn’t by choice.” Sev said as he pulled the warm milk off the runestone and stirred in some of the honey and chocolate shavings. “Here, try this.” He said as he handed her the mug.

  Lilli didn’t know how to respond. She felt guilty for asking. But more importantly, she felt guilty for having never known that about Sev. His parents are gone, and I didn’t even know. Actually, what exactly DO I know about Sev?? She thought as she took a sip of the milk. “Thank you, it's really good. Want some?” She asked as she lifted the mug towards Sev.

  “No, but thank you. I’ve never really been a fan of chocolate.” Sev said, grabbing the lantern and walking into the study. “Come on, sit with me.” He said as he sat down on the sofa, patting the cushion next to him. “You don’t need to worry, I’m okay talking about it. What do you want to know?” Sev asked as Lilli joined him.

  “Well, what were your parents like? I’m sad I’ll never get to meet them. Oh, and where did Arthur find you? Where are you from? “ Lilli asked. I want to know more about him, and he said it was okay to ask. So it should be okay to ask, right?

  Sev smiled as he started to talk about Whitemane and his parents. He left out the more… traumatic details, but included all of the things he enjoyed as a younger child. He described the mountains, the greenhouse, and every detail he could remember. He described the years that he had spent taking care of his mother after his father had disappeared on a hunting trip. He talked about the day his father returned, and the short reunion they had. He mentioned that his father was robbed of the chance to actually be a dad, which is why he felt bad about treating Arthur like one. “I don’t want to replace him, or anything like that. I know it wasn’t his fault. But he never really was my ‘dad’. He never got the chance.” Sev said as he finished the story.

  Lilli sat in silence, her eyes wet with tears. I shouldn’t have asked. It must hurt to talk about. But I also want to know, because it's him. “I’m sorry to pry, what happened to your parents?” She asked gently, taking the last sip of milk from the mug and setting it to the side.

  Sev sat in silence for a moment before answering. “I’ll tell you, but I’m starting to get a bit tired. Mind if I lie down?” He asked.

  “Not at all.” Lilli smiled and said as she patted her lap. “Lay away.”

  Sev flopped over and lay down on her lap. “Well, to cut a long story short, a group of monsters attacked my village. They killed everyone, and my parents risked their lives to save mine. A few days later, Arthur and some of the paladins showed up. They saved my life and brought me back here. Then, Arthur decided to raise me. So yeah, that’s my life story.” Sev’s voice was steady, but his tone was sad and almost lonely. I thought I was doing better with this. Guess I still need practice.

  Lilli was playing with his hair as he spoke, not knowing what to say. After a minute or two of silence, she finally decided on what to say. “I’m sorry for your loss, I really am. But I’m grateful that you survived. My life would be a lot worse without you. So I’m really glad you survived.” She whispered gently.

  Sev smiled and reached up to squeeze her hand a bit. “Thanks, Lilli. I’m glad too. I’m glad I met you, and I’m glad I met everyone else. I may have lost one family, but I was fortunate enough to gain another one. So it's not all bad.” He meant every word, yet he still felt guilty about it. I hate that my parents are dead. But I never would have met Arthur and Lilli and everyone else otherwise. I’m grateful for how things turned out. Yet I feel like I should be struggling more. I don’t think I should be this okay with my parents' death. And yet, I am. What is wrong with me?

  Lilli and Sev spent the next short while talking about random things. Lilli was mostly trying to lift Sev’s spirits, as she could tell he was struggling a bit. Sev was trying to change the topic to make Lilli less uncomfortable with what they were talking about. Less than an hour later, they were both sound asleep, Sev still lying on her lap. When morning arrived, Orsen and Arthur found them asleep on the sofa. They simply smiled and moved into the kitchen to make breakfast. The group ate another warm meal together before parting ways to go about their days.

  The next 2 weeks passed more quickly than either Lilli or Sev wanted. They spent almost all day, every day with each other. Sev made sure to take her to Wesley’s like he had promised. Lilli told Sevagoth all about her classes and what she was studying. She also told him about some of the bullying she had been getting and how mean the people there were. Sev simply squeezed her hand and said, “Listen, Lilli. I don’t care what other people say or think about you, and neither should you. I love you just the way you are, and so do Arthur, Byron, and Amalee. Everyone else be damned.” She was happy to hear those words, and they made her feel a bit better. If only I could hear those words every day while at the academy. It might make it easier to make it through.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Finally, the day arrived for Lilli to head out again. There was another difficult goodbye from the others. But when it came time to say goodbye to Sev, He reminded her of something. “Remember, it’s never a goodbye. I’ll be looking forward to you coming home again, so it's just ‘see you later’. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.” Lilli smiled and hugged Sev deeply, clinging to him for as long as she could before her parents told her it was time to go.

  “I’ll see you later, then.” She said as she got into the carriage and started towards the city gate. Lilli leaned out the window and waved to Sev until she was long out of view.

  Sev missed her already and knew that the next time he saw her would be even harder. She won’t be happy that I didn’t tell her. After all, I won’t be able to come home and visit when I’m training with The Claw. Oh well, I’ll deal with that when we get there. He thought to himself as he and Arthur headed towards the garrison to train.

  The rest of Sev’s break flew by quickly, but felt a bit hollow without Lilli there. Sev started his final year of school, keeping the same mentality as the last semester. He was set on graduating from the academy in the number 1 spot. Then, he would train with The Claw and join the paladins as a liaison. And then what? He thought to himself as he walked back to the academy. I’ll figure that out later. Right now, I need to focus on school. And focus he did. The first semester seemed to pass in a flash, and he started his final month of vacation. He spent it the same as every other, just with more intensity and focus. He practiced scribing ‘sundering’ and ‘unbreakable’ for hours every day, and filled the remainder of his time with physical training and combat practice. Each day that passed seemed to make the reality of his situation more real. Now I know why Lilli was so worked up. This is intimidating. But there is no time to focus on that. I’ll make it work. I have to.

  Sevagoth started his final semester at the academy. As such, he was enrolled in a slightly more advanced swordsmanship class. It was still boring, but there was at least a bit of actual sparring that took place. This is just an extra hour of practice every day. I can make myself learn something, even if it sucks. He was still years ahead of the other children, which earned him some ire and disdain from the children of nobility. He didn’t care. He was training for hell, and it was fast approaching. I have no time to waste. As the end of the year approached, he turned 10 years old. On weekend visits home, he had started to train with real swords. He adjusted to them much faster than expected, but in some ways that was also expected of him. He was making steady progress with his runes as well. He was pushing himself to his absolute limit, and then some.

  Next thing Sev knew, he was once again attending a graduation ceremony for the academy. This time, he was the one graduating. He stood on the stage and received his certificate of completion. He also received yet another small medal for graduating at the very head of his class, taking the number one slot. He also set a new record in practical swordsmanship for 5th-year students. He received his prizes and sat among the crowd.

  After the ceremony was over, he was greeted by his family and friends. Amalee and Byron were in tears, both of joy and sorrow, at how fast he was growing up. Arthur was proud of his accomplishments and was excited that he had achieved so much in such a short time. Orsen was proudly claiming him as his ‘prodigy’. Again, many laughs and smiles were shared as everyone headed off to Arthur’s house to celebrate. A new weight sat atop Sev’s shoulders, a weight he desperately tried to hide from everyone who was there to simply celebrate. I wonder just how long he plans to give me.

  Everyone gathered at Arthur’s home to share in the celebration. Dottie and Wesley arrived before the others to start preparing the feast. This was their last time all being together, and they wanted it to be the most memorable. They especially made sure to prepare special desserts, as they were Sev’s favorites. Lilli was busy working up the courage to give Sev her gift, a thank you for her ring and the care he had taken of her over the years. She was nervous, not exactly sure as to when or how to give it to him. As everyone arrived and prepared for the meal, Sev made sure to greet each guest warmly and sincerely. He truly did love these people, and he dreaded the fact that he might never see them again. I have to tell them.

  “Excuse me, I have a bit of an announcement…” Sev said as he got everyone’s attention. “I have been offered a wonderful apprenticeship that I firmly believe is the right choice for me. I don’t know exactly when I will be leaving, but here is what I do know. This will be my last time seeing all of you for the next 6 years, at least. One of the conditions of this apprenticeship is that there are no breaks and no trips home. The next 6 years will be exclusively focused on my training and preparation.”

  The words hung heavy in the air. Terms like these weren’t exactly uncommon, but everyone was saddened to hear that Sev wouldn’t be around. They had grown to rely on him and enjoyed his presence. Byron wasn’t surprised, as Sev was joining his personal army.

  Sev continued after a moment. “I also won’t be able to send or receive letters, so please don’t waste your efforts. I know this is short notice, but I haven’t been able to find a good way to say this until now. I may not be coming back. This training is intense and dangerous, but I have no intention of failing. I promise that in 6 years, I will return home. And if things go well, I may even be able to join with the paladins and be stationed here in the capital.”

  Lilli didn’t know what to say. She was scared, both for Sev and herself. He might not come back? I might never see him again? What if something happens to him? What if something happens to ME? She quickly stood up and ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face. Everyone was quiet, not sure of how to respond.

  “Go check on her. I’ll explain a bit more to everyone else.” Arthur said softly, watching as Sev quickly left the room as well. “As Sev said, he won’t be coming home for 6 years. I have a personal promise of his safety, however. He will be coming back, but the work he will be doing is quite important. I know it may be hard, but I beg each of you to give him your love and support. This isn’t easy for him either. Please don’t make it more difficult on him.” Arthur stood and bowed his head to the others, his words and requests both sincere and heartfelt.

  “Well, of course, we support him. We’ll just miss the brat.” Byron said, trying to help out Arthur. “We all know how Sev is; we know he won’t leave us hanging. He has never broken a promise, and he won’t start now.” He said, trying to convince himself just as much as everyone else.

  Everyone agreed; they may not know the exact details, but they didn’t need to. Sev was their family, and as such deserved their love and support.

  “We will, Arthur. We’ll support him however we can.” Amalee said, tears welling in her eyes.

  “I’m not exactly happy that I lost my protege. But if this is what's best for him, I’ll do everything in my power to help the kid out.” Orsen said, proud of his student.

  “Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it, and I know Sev will as well. He’ll have a hard enough time with her, after all.” Arthur said as he returned to his seat, and the meal continued.

  Upstairs, Sev finally caught up to Lilli. She had stowed herself in one of the spare bedrooms and was currently lying on the bed sobbing. Sev gently approached the bed and sat down, not sure of what to say. What do I do? He decided to simply reach down and grab her hand, gently holding it as she cried.

  “I’m really sorry, Lilli. I was going to tell you last year, but I didn’t want to ruin that time together. I know it was selfish, and I’m sorry.” Sev said quietly, staring at the floor.

  “You can’t leave me, Sev. I need you! You are the only one who actually cares about me, the only one who doesn’t act differently behind my back. What am I going to do without you?!?!” Lilli yelled into the mattress. Her words cut Sev more than he expected them to. “You said you’d always be there for me, and now you are leaving me behind? What about your promise???” She cried, tears flowing more heavily.

  “Lilli, I don’t know what to say. I don’t really have a choice; this is my only path forward. I’m not expecting you to forgive me or anything. I just need you to understand that this is what I’m doing, no matter what. I’m sorry I can’t be there for you for the next few years, but after I get done, I’ll be back. I’ll remake that promise to you then, okay?” Sev’s voice was shaky. For the first time in years, he was afraid. Afraid that he would die during the training, afraid that he would fail to keep the promise he made to his mother, afraid to lose another family. But right now, he was just afraid of losing Lilli. “Lilli, please. I can’t lose you, not like this. Please don’t hate me.”

  Lilli cried for a few more minutes after Sev said this. She was scared, too, scared of losing the one person she felt truly safe with. Scared of what would happen if he were to never come back. I don’t hate you, Sev. I never could. I’m just scared. She thought to herself, tears not slowing down. The worst-case scenario kept playing in her head, over and over again.

  “Lilli, I need to show you something. Will you at least follow me, and listen to what I have to say?” Sev was pleading with her at this point. His voice was trembling. Please don’t hate me. Please don’t hate me.

  “Okay.” Lilli replied softly, trying to stop her crying and calm down.

  “Thank you.” Sev said as they got up and went to his bedroom. He carefully pulled his parents' things and ashes out of the trunk in his closet and set them on his desk. “This is my family.” He said, gesturing towards the ashes. “My mom, Ana. My dad, Murak. And my grandpa, Bailior. The only other person who has seen these is Arthur, cause he is the one who cremated them and saved the ashes for me. I wasn’t completely honest about what happened that night.” Sev said, his eyes not leaving his parents' ashes. His voice was that of a broken man, and he was bearing his soul to Lilli. Please don’t hate me.

  “What? What do you mean?” Lilli asked hesitantly. “Why are you showing me this, and telling me all this now??” Her tone was harsher than she intended.

  “That night, almost 5 years ago, monsters attacked my village. My father had been missing for 5 years and had just gotten back from a hunting trip. We lived at the World’s End. We were used to monsters and dangerous creatures. But nothing could have prepared us for them.” Sev’s voice started trembling again, but for a different reason. He was angry. “My village had about 300 men, all trained for combat in some way or another. We also had about 250 women, some of whom could fight as well. Every single one of them was torn apart, mutilated. All those people died to about 30 monsters, and they killed maybe 10 at most. There was a man who led the monsters, his name is Adanon, and he is a necromancer. My grandpa died fighting the monsters, but Adanon turned him into an undead soldier and used him to kill my father. My father managed to kill my grandpa, again, I guess, but my mother was heavily wounded in the process. Adanon then proceeded to torture her, keeping her alive and slowly trying to turn her into an undead. After Adanon left, I had to kill my mother to keep her from turning and losing my father forever. I killed my own mother, using my father's sword. I also swore an oath to her before she died. I swore to find and kill Adanon for what he did.” Sev set a trembling hand on hisfather'ss blade and his mother's pendant.

  Lilli sat on the bed and tried to process what Sev had told her. He killed his mother? His mother was tortured? Her thoughts were frantic, and she couldn’t help but be a bit frightened of Sev. He killed someone, his own mother. But he had to, right? He had to kill her.

  Sev simply stood there in silence for a moment before grabbing his mother's ring and pendant off the desk. He walked over to Lilli, hanging his head as she pulled back from him slightly. “Please, take care of these for me. They were my mothers, and they are the most important things in the world to me. In 6 years, I’ll come back for them. Nothing will keep me from fulfilling my promise to my mother. You can think of those as collateral. As long as you have those, I will come back. I promise.” Sev’s fear and sadness had since left. The only thing left was absolute certainty and conviction.

  “I can’t accept these. I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to them.” Lilli said softly.

  “So don’t let anything happen to them. I’ll make you a deal. If you keep those safe until I come back for them, I will do or get you whatever you want. Just name it, and it's yours. That ring and amulet are more valuable to me than my own life. So if you safeguard them, I will owe you more than my life.” His eyes were steeled at this moment, and not a shimmer of doubt touched the surface.

  “Are you sure, Sev??” Lilli asked, her voice trembling.

  “Absolutely. I am not allowed to take any personal effects with me when I go, and there is no one else I want to look after them for me.” Sev answered.

  “Okay, I promise I’ll take care of them. Nothing will happen to them, you have my word.” Lilli said firmly, gently taking the amulet and ring from Sev.

  “Thank you, Lilli. I mean it.” Sev responded softly. “Do you hate me? For what I’ve done, I mean.”

  “Of course I don’t hate you. I won’t lie, I got a little bit scared when you said you had killed someone. But I know why you did it, and I know why you made that promise to your mom. I can’t hate you for something like that.” Lilli said, voice soft as she brought Sev into a hug. I’m so sorry, Sev. I had no idea.

  Sev sighed, a massive weight off his heart. “Thank you, Lilli. For everything.” He simply enjoyed the warmth of her hug, relieved that she had understood his decisions. I’m glad I found her.

  Sev and Lilli hugged for a few minutes before finally returning to the kitchen with everyone else. They had finished eating and were chatting when they entered. Everyone was glad to see them back, Lilli holding Sev’s hand as always. They welcomed them back and let them eat their fill as well, the mood lifting over time until everyone was back to normal. After dinner, everyone insisted that Sev open their gifts. Byron, Amalee, Orsen, and Camilla had all gone in on one gift together, wanting to get something special for Sev. They gave him a simple yet beautiful sword. The sword was made from Hell-vein and had 2 runes engraved on the handle, ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Sundering’. Byron had provided the ore, and Orsen had done the forging and runescribing himself, having worked countless hours to make the beautiful greatsword before him. He had gotten lucky, getting a second rune on only the 17th attempt.

  “I know you like training with a greatsword, so we all decided we should get you one of your own. I made it a bit bigger than the average claymore, but made sure to keep it balanced. It should be one hell of a weapon.” Orsen said proudly. Byron and everyone smiled widely as Sevagoth excitedly looked over the weapon.

  “Thank you, everyone. It’s beautiful, it really is. I’ll make sure to put it to good use when I join up with the paladins.” Sev was smiling ear to ear, running his hand along the immaculate weapon before him. I got one of my own, and one like this? It's beautiful, it truly is. Dad would have loved it.

  “I guess I’ll go next, then.” Lilli said shyly. “It's nothing like their gift, but I hope you like it either way.” She nervously handed Sev a decent-sized wooden box, no larger than a book. “It was the only thing I could think of.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be great, Lilli.” Sev said with a smile. He slowly opened it, revealing a framed painting of him and Lilli together at what looked to be Wesley's shop. Sev stared at it for a moment, smiling as the warm memory rushed back. “Lilli, this is amazing!! Where did you get this???” Sev asked, truly touched by the sentiment.

  “There is a small shop in Kelgrim that can take brief memories and make art out of them. I figured it might be fun to remember that day.” Lilli said nervously. “If you don’t like it, I ca—” She was cut off as Sev pulled her into a tight hug.

  “It’s perfect, Lilli. I love it, thank you.” Sev whispered as he hugged her. “This is the best gift I’ve ever received. Thank you so much, Lilli. I’ll cherish it forever.”

  The guests slowly wrapped things up, getting ready to leave. As they said their goodbyes, Sev made sure to say what he felt was his final goodbye.

  “Amalee, Byron, I love you guys. Please take care of Arthur, okay? Orsen, thank you for everything you have done for me and taught me. I can’t wait to work with you more when I get back.” Sev gave them all hugs, making sure they knew how much he cared for them. When it got to Lilli, he gave her another deep hug and whispered, “You are the best friend I could have ever asked for, and I don’t want to think of what my life would be like without you. I love you, Lilli. Take care of yourself while I’m gone, okay?”

  “I love you too, Sev. I’ll be waiting here at home for you. Be safe, and come back to me, okay?” Lilli said through tears.

  Everyone left, and it was just Arthur and Sev. “Arthur, I promise I’ll make it home safe. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better family. I love you, thank you again.” Sev said as he gave Arthur a long hug.

  “It’s my pleasure, kiddo. You are the best son a man could ask for. I’m so proud of you, and can’t wait to see the man you become. I love you, Sev.” Arthur said through gentle tears.

  “I love you too, pops.”